Under a Dark Sky Art Contest 2024
The Mackinaw City Area Arts council in collaboration with the Headlands International Dark Sky Park has finalized the “Under a Dark Sky” art contest. This was our first art contest and we were honored to receive 55 phenomenal submissions. Judges narrowed down the top 10 art submissions and from that the judging committee choose the three winners. Cash prizes were awarded to first, second and third place winners in amount totaling $1,000. Amazingly all three winners were Michigan based artists. The arts council will use the three images as the 2025 Art Walk installations which can be viewed in May 2025 at a location to be determined.
Our thanks to all who participated and shared their amazing talents.
First place: Victor Spieles “Night Bear and Star Woman seed the summer solstice”
Ink and Pen and Acrylic Paint
Victor Spieles- Victor attended Macomb Community College, California Institute of the Arts, and the Center for Creative Studies where he graduated in 1997. At the beginning of the COVID lockdown he received a fever dream message from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu to find his joy and release the colors within himself. Since that dream he has been working diligently nights and weekends to share the colors and art flowing out from within himself. Victor has exhibited at the Ukrainian American Archives & Museum in Hamtramck, Michigan, the PARC Gallery in Plymouth, Michigan and the Arts Illiana Gallery in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Second Place: Max Parks
Acrylic Paint on Canvas “The Stars we Share”
Max Parks is a native Michigander and a philosophy instructor at Mott and Macomb Community Colleges. Their preferred medium is acrylic paint on canvas.
“I appreciate the beauty in the night sky, and in the wonder that is to be had in experiencing it.
I’m excited for this piece to be recognized ( it’s the most meaningful piece I submitted, as it represents me and my 5 year old nephew appreciating the sky together, which is one of our favorite activities to bond over).”
Third Prize: Lindsey Tyler “Eclipse 2024”
Acrylic Paint
Lindsay Tyler As an artist, I am deeply inspired by the profound moments when nature reveals its grandeur. “Eclipse 2024” is a painting that captures the awe-inspiring experience of witnessing the recent solar eclipse in totality. The dramatic darkening of the sky, the ethereal glow of the corona, and the fleeting, yet transformative, moment of totality left an indelible impression on me.
In this piece, I aimed to convey the surreal beauty and the powerful emotions evoked by this celestial event. “Eclipse 2024” reflects the mesmerizing interaction between light and darkness, and humanity’s timeless fascination with the night sky.
This artwork is my tribute to the wonder of the natural world and the extraordinary experiences that connect us to the cosmos.